Goodyear, union reach tentative pact

CLEVELAND -- Thousands of workers at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. plants in seven states will vote in the coming days on a tentative national contract agreement.

CLEVELAND -- Thousands of workers at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. plants in seven states will vote in the coming days on a tentative national contract agreement.

The United Steelworkers of America and the Akron-based company reached the deal Saturday night, about three hours before a midnight deadline for the expiration of a three-year contract that had been extended twice. The union said rank-and-file members will be briefed on the agreement, and ratification votes will be scheduled at all plants.

Wayne Ranick, a spokesman with the union headquarters in Pittsburgh, said he couldn't provide details on whether the four-year agreement preserves union jobs or keeps open the seven plants covered by the deal. Ranick, who talked to union negotiators, said Steelworkers leaders were mindful of the difficult economy that was a backdrop to the contract talks.

"They feel comfortable that, in a difficult circumstance, they were able to work with the company and get something that they feel comfortable enough to take home to the members and talk to them about it and let them vote on it," he said.

The talks, which began in June, were for a contract covering about 10,300 Steelworkers in Akron; Buffalo, N.Y.; Danville, Va.; Fayetteville, N.C.; Gadsden, Ala.; Topeka, Kan.; and Union City, Tenn. The union had made job security its priority.

Goodyear's goals were improved productivity and flexibility, and Jim Allen, its chief negotiator, said they were accomplished. "We are pleased that we have reached an agreement that accomplishes Goodyear's bargaining goals and helps secure the future for its U.S. factories," he said in a statement.

Goodyear, the biggest U.S. tire-maker and third-largest globally, operates more than 60 plants in 25 countries and has nearly 70,000 employees. The company cut 5,500 jobs in the first half of the year.